Our Everyday Lives
by Janice.A
Summary: A compilation of various scenes featuring all the members of µ's! Very little romance, but will contain pairings likely never seen before.
1. Umi & Rin (A Lesson for Two)

This series will be focusing on the interactions between the members of µ's! I've plugged all of their names through a randomiser, and I've formed an order for all the possible pairings. Very few of these will be even remotely close to romantic, if any at all. Every 4 chapters, I'll also post a "solo" chapter, where someone just writes what's on their mind, similar to my "Diary of a School Idol" series. I'll probably challenge myself with these weird pairings that probably aren't seen anywhere else, and fittingly, I start today with Umi and Rin! I hope you all enjoy!

(Also, how does one capture Rin's personality without constantly inserting cat puns and exclamation marks?...)

* * *

"And so, once you realise capital letters are almost exclusively used for names and the start of sentences, English seems a lot easier, right?"

To think that I was being taught how to write a sentence.

"You shouldn't have left all of your revision to the last week, Rin."

"I know, Umi-chan, but there are just so many other things to do! Like reading, singing, and spending time with µ's! I could be practising our dance right meow!"

"You won't be spending any more time with µ's if you don't pass all of your exams."

The dreaded topic of exams had finally come up once again. The fear of failing has become synonymous with Nico, Honoka and I. As a result, we were titled the "three idiots" of µ's. It's certainly an annoying nickname, but I can't say that it's not at least a little bit accurate. Naturally, I was in dire need of tutelage. It was only the mid-year exams, but nonetheless, I needed to pass. Maki and Kayo-chin had assisted me in the past, but Maki needed to prepare for a piano recital, and I didn't want to bother Kayo-chin once more. She was my childhood friend, and I didn't want to seem completely reliant on her.

And that's how I ended up on the archery clubroom floor with my English textbooks. As much as I'd want to, I wasn't there to pick up a bow. Instead, the only thing I had in hand was a pen. Umi agreed to help me, but only if I went to the club with her. I thought I would be distracting her, considering she's one of the school's leading archers, but she seems at peace with herself when she stands to fire every arrow. Even as a member of µ's, she continues to show how equally talented she is as an archer. I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous, especially because I can't even keep my grades up. She continues to explain everything to me in clear, simple terms, and after a while, she stands to fire another quiver.

All of her shots hit the target. She sighs in relief as if that was a rare occurrence. As she turns around, her gaze meets mine.

"That was amazing, Umi-chan! I never knew you were this good at archery! You should show off to the rest of µ's one day!"

"Aha," she says hesitantly. "I'm not really that good, and watching me would be quite boring. I'm unlike Maki, whose art is a form of entertainment itself..." Her voice trails off, seemingly trying to bring a thought to words.

Somewhat reluctantly, she sits down by my side once again.

"You shouldn't let that discourage you, Umi-chan! You're truly a 'cat' above the rest!"

Umi smiles, though I don't know whether it's from my words or the terrible cat pun. She's always been a beacon of hope, not just for me, but all of µ's, so it's certainly a surprise to see her with her defences down. Archery is her way of escape from life, a way for her to break free from the stresses of school and the nonsense that happens in our daily lives. But even now, she's holding herself back.

"I know, but... I guess I just don't have the confidence to appreciate what I do for what it is. Every day I come to school with a talented seamstress and the energetic and boisterous leader of one of Japan's school idol groups. I spend time with a ballerina, a pianist, and yet, I'm just me. Everyone in µ's has some sort of charisma, some charm. Something that makes them stand out."

We sit silently for a while. I smile at her, trying to lighten the mood. She exhales gently and forces a small smile back.

"You know, Umi-chan, I like you the way you are! Remember when we tried to change the impact of our performances? It didn't work because it didn't represent µ's. If you were to change who you were just to be a part of µ's, you would only find yourself further away from us!"

"Everything about you, from being an archery pro to being the voice of reason for µ's, it's an important part of who you are. So in turn, it becomes a part of all of us. µ's wouldn't be the same without you."

"Rin..."

"I know I'm not the smartest, not the best singer, and far from being the best dancer. Kayo-chin does all of those things better than me, and I'm her best friend. Sure, I feel jealous of her sometimes, but I remain the fool I am! I can't change who I am, but that doesn't mean I'm worse than anyone else. I'll always need help to pass my subjects, but I'll always be me."

I smile at her once again. In reply, I get an earnest smile from Umi.

"Rin... Thank you. I thought I was the one supposed to be teaching you, but I guess the reverse ended up being true."

"Don't worry about it! I'll always be there to help 'mew'! If only I could write stuff like that for my essays..."

Umi laughs before she turns to help me once more. I guess even the most stable of us need help sometimes, huh?

Two hours pass before we finally leave. We pass through the gates together, making our separate ways home. I'm glad to have given Umi a more paw-sitive mindset.

Now all that's left to do is to actually pass my exams...


	2. Maki & Kotori (Beauty of the Stars)

So, I'm finally back! I hope this longer than usual chapter makes up for it... I was inspired by the constellation set from School Idol Festival, and I'm still chasing that UR Maki... Hopefully, I can stay in Tier 1 in this event, and I'll just save up some more love gems for her birthday!

* * *

Sitting by an open window letting the cool ocean breeze brush gently against my hair; what better way is there to spend my time? We were spending a few days at Maki's beach resort once again. The day had been hot, and we spent our time at the beach. Now, as night fell, the warmth of the bath still radiated around me. I was busy sketching some designs for potential costumes, but I was at a loss. Nico had suggested something cute, while Umi forced me to keep the concepts sensible. It was always hard to meet everyone's expectations, but every time I had managed to get everything done.

Outside, thousands of stars filled the sky. The moon shone brightly, giving us light to exist within. Each star flickered slightly differently to each other. It was as if they were creating a song, trying to get their voice heard across the vast emptiness of space. I smiled to myself, wondering what it would be like to journey amongst them.

"They're beautiful, aren't they?"

I turn around to see nothing but red hair. Maki had entered the room while I was lost in my thoughts.

"Oh, Maki-chan! Nice to see you here!"

"Ngh," she replied. "It's not like I came here to see you. Nico-chan prepared some cheesecake, and she said to bring some over."

"Haha... Nico-chan sure can cook quite a lot, can't she?"

"I guess so..." Maki was as insecure as ever, so I suppose it was up to me to continue the conversation.

"Not going back to the others?"

"No... Rin and Honoka are trying to play Monopoly, but they're somehow struggling to distribute the cash. Hanayo is in the kitchen with Nico-chan and Umi, and lord knows what Eli and Nozomi are up to... What're you working on?"

"Ah, just some costume designs. I wanted to complete something today, as I didn't get a chance to do much earlier."

"I see..."

We sat in silence for a while, before Maki remembered the reason she came.

"Cheesecake! Would you like some?"

After Maki cut me a slice, I went back to my designs. There wasn't much for me to return to, just countless scribbles on a page. I knew I wanted something new, something that will show the radiance of µ's. In spite of knowing this, I couldn't place anything on the paper. I wanted µ's to shine, but how do you show that energy? How do you show to the world that you want to shine? School idols around Japan would always wear the perfect outfit for their performance. They could be graceful, delicate, cute. They could be anything they wanted to be. And now, I need to show that µ's can do that too. I need to put our feelings into the costumes that we perform with. The costumes that define who we are.

Maki held her music book in front of her. She seemed to be studying something quite thoroughly. I guess she also wanted some quiet space to work with. Her talent had always amazed me. She could always put together the right notes to perfectly capture the emotions we wanted to present. She knew how to make us shine amongst the other idol groups.

She suddenly looked up, frustrated with herself.

"It's annoying, you know? One second you think you have everything worked out, the next you're struggling to make ends meet. You know what you want to do, but you just can't do anything about it. You want to keep going, you have to, yet you can't. I, I just..."

Maki trailed off. It was rare for her to act in such a way, even rarer for her to show it to others. She was probably feeling the same way as me.

"Maki-chan..."

"I'm sorry. I, I shouldn't have said that. You don't deserve that sort of treatment; you probably work harder than all of us combined."

"No, no, it's fine! My work isn't too hard..." I lied through my teeth, and I was sure she could tell.

"You say that despite having a mess of a page."

I sighed, knowing how much time I had wasted. Maki and I were sitting in the same boat. We both had things to do that were so crucial to µ's' success, and we were both constantly under the pressure to excel. In some ways, we were expected to hold up the others. That's not to say the others were less important, it's just that our jobs formed part of µ's image.

"I know..." I said despondently. "I simply wish it was easier to turn our thoughts into reality. We think of these great ideas that we want to share with the world, but the further we go, the harder it is to write our own story. We all want to shine. We know that. But I guess it really is tough to shine brighter than the rest."

"Like the stars in the sky..."

"Hmm?"

"Ah, it's nothing. I was just comparing what you said to the stars. Pretty silly, I know..."

"You think so? I think it makes sense."

"Perhaps... Each star is fundamentally identical. At the most basic level, they are incredibly hot balls of gas slowly fusing elements in order to generate huge amounts of energy to sustain themselves. But not all stars shine at the same brightness. Not all are supergiants, destined to implode due to the unavoidable force of gravity. Not all burn fuel trillions of years. And yet, we classify them all as stars."

Maki seemed to feel a lot better after finally expressing her feelings. She always held herself with a lot of pride, too much pride. Letting her ideas free is what she needs the most.

"We're all school idols trying our best to shine. But, there's more to us to that. Us nine are more than just normal idols. We started µ's to save our school, but we've grown to be so much more than that. We're not just a star, we as a whole form a constellation that we call µ's. We are all individuals, each with our own hopes and dreams. In spite of that, we shine as one. We shine as µ's."

She was smiling now. Breaking her out of her shell was always a challenge.

"It's a wonderful thought, isn't it?" I replied. "To think that we are like the stars that shine on us. Our goal as school idols is to shine brightly for people all around the world. I hope that one day people will see us as stars in their own life."

"Shining like stars... Could we really achieve that?"

"I don't see why not. It would be nice to be one with them."

Silence fell on us once again. To shine like the stars: that is what we want to achieve as µ's. Becoming the top idol group in Japan, singing our songs for those that come to watch us. We want to become the stars in the sky that look out for everyone. Our songs are our light. It's through those we can send our message for everyone to hear. Everything from our costumes, voices and dance, they make up the light that radiates from µ's.

"Say, Kotori..."

I already knew what she was thinking.

"What do you think about the theme of stars for our next single? I mean, it is quite fitting, and..."

"Sure! To be with the stars: that's our goal, right?"

"I guess so..."

We both went back to our individual arts, finally with an idea of what we wanted to achieve. Dressing up and showing ourselves as stars themselves. As school idols, we have to be the light for others, even if we aren't feeling the light ourselves. We need to shine in the face of darkness. That's our role as school idols. Or at least that's what Nico says...

Shining through the darkness. That's what we have to do.

That is the beauty of the stars.


End file.
